Mumbai: Denying the Opposition's charge that the government is forcing farmers to pay power bills, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that more than 15 lakh farmers haven't paid electricity bills for the past five to eight years and the dues have ballooned to ₹48,689 crore.
He made the statement in the Legislative Assembly while replying to the agricultural issues raised by the treasury as well as opposition benches.
“A total of 15,23,426 farmers haven't paid their electricity bills in the past five to eight years. We are not asking them to pay all the bills but request them to clear the current bill,” said Fadnavis, adding that the government is striving to convert electricity connections to solar-powered supply.
Talking about the irrigation projects, he said, “The Centre's nod is awaited for final clearance of the Marathwada water grid project. The plan is to provide water supply from the Jayakwadi dam to three tehsils of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.”
